Rollin Glen Southwell

HUNTLEY – Rollin Glen Southwell passed away suddenly on Sunday, March 24, 2013 while on the road in Iowa.

Born Feb. 9, 1936 in Scottsbluff, Neb., he had just turned 77 years old. He attended first and second grades in Gering, Neb., then finished elementary and high school in Huntley.

Rollin was raised on the Southwell family homestead in Goshen County. A graduate of the Huntley High School class of 1954, he played on their small-town, six-man football team. He later served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1959-1961 in the Northwestern States Mission.

Rollin Southwell was a great teacher and educator. He graduated from Brigham Young University in 1965 and received his masters in education from Utah State in 1977. He taught industrial arts (i.e. shop class) at Highland High School and math at Hillside Middle School for the Salt Lake School District.

Upon his retirement, he pursued his passion for history and travel with his involvement in the preservation of the Lincoln Highway, the first privately funded paved road from coast to coast, built in 1913.

He was instrumental in the completion of a monument to Carl Fisher, located at the top of Johnson (Fisher) Pass on state highway 199 between Clover and Terra, Utah. For this work, he received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Utah State Historical Society for his efforts to preserve the history of Fisher Pass.

Never one to sit still, Rollin was also active with numerous personal family history projects, including genealogy work in England and a history of homesteading in the Table Mountain region of Wyoming.

At one point during his earthly travels, no one had heard from Rollin for several days. His middle child, Elizabeth, messaged him chiding to keep in contact so people would know he was OK.

He replied, “There is a rumor on the Internet that I have passed away – not so, may the Lincoln Highway live forever, as Carl Fisher said it would.”

Yes, indeed. Rollin Southwell’s legacy is preserved in the memories and work he left behind.

The memorial service will be held at Table Mountain Vineyard in Huntley on May 5 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to Lyman-Huffey Museum for a plaque in his honor.